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Good Thing...Bad Thing...Who knows??
There was once a farmer who owned a horse and had a son.
One day, his horse ran away. The neighbours came to express their concern: "Oh, that's too bad. How are you going to work the fields now?" The farmer replied: "Good thing, Bad thing, Who knows?"
In a few days, his horse came back and brought another horse with her. Now, the neighbors were glad: "Oh, how lucky! Now you can do twice as much work as before!" The farmer replied: "Good thing, Bad thing, Who knows?"
The next day, the farmer's son fell off the new horse and broke his leg. The neighbours were concerned again: "Now that he is incapacitated, he can't help you around, that's too bad." The farmer replied: "Good thing, Bad thing, Who knows?"
Soon, the news came that a war broke out, and all the young men were required to join the army. The villagers were sad because they knew that many of the young men will not come back. The farmer's son could not be drafted because of his broken leg. His neighbours were envious: "How lucky! You get to keep your only son." The farmer replied: "Good thing, Bad thing, Who knows?"
This ancient Chinese parable illustrates Eastern wisdom in three areas - to reserve judgment and remain in the present moment to avoid stress and worry; that time is precious, for it is what the son and father ultimately gained; and that in even in the worst of circumstances, a good thing may occur if you just stay positive there may be a Silver Lining - if you just look for it!
This story has rung true for me ever since I first heard it several years back. It literally applies to everything in life:
Didn’t get the job you wanted: Good? Bad? Maybe.
Got the job you wanted: Good? Bad? Maybe.
Single/married/separating/divorced: Good? Bad? Maybe.
Red light/Green light: Good? Bad? Maybe.
Our desire to label events in absolutes — good, bad, awesome, terrible — prevents us from seeing those events for what they truly are: unfinished stories. Our careers, our friendships, our love life, our health, our dreams, our world, our very lives are unfolding narratives that never cease to surprise us.
Being aware of that fact is freeing in a way, because unfolding stories are not done stories yet; They’re yet to reach a final conclusion. This lack of finality gives us hope that things could change; That they could get better.
There is a Japanese philosophy called Wabi-sabi — believing that beauty can only emanate from things that are imperfect, impermanent, and transient, for that is the nature of life. To be perfect is to be unnatural. To be permanent is to be unseen. There’s something very comforting in this world view.
Seneca, the Roman stoic philosopher, said, “All things human are short-lived and perishable.” Imperfection is the essence of beauty.
In my case, the trauma of 500 seizures in two years underscores its impermanence as well as my strength and resilience to cope with them and overcome the fear of this permanency in my everyday life. There’s beauty in resilience; in being fragile. There’s also beauty in our capacity for empathy, which can only be forged in the affliction of our own suffering. Empathy comes from pain, and that is beautiful.
When we look at life and everything it encompasses as an unfinished story, flawed and impermanent, we begin to truly enjoy its moments in the here and now. What’s bad today could turn into good tomorrow and what’s good today could become something worse tomorrow. Change is a stranger that never ceases to show, and sooner or later, we all get to know.
I do believe good has come out of my health battles. I now know suffering. That the only true path to self is through suffering. And I have been there. I can now help others with their journeys of pain and suffering. Pain is pain. Hurt is hurt. As I have now been one year seizure free, my epilepsy is at an inflection point. What if I was able to wean off my medication and my seizures stopped? Could that be when my proverbial lost horse will come back. Would that be good? Would that be bad? ..Maybe.
Madonna x
Do What Works For You!
After the trials we have been through over the past year, it is now time for us all to LIVE CONSCIOUSLY again - each and every day.
The only thing stopping you from achieving your goals and dreams are your own fears.